Teaching

What is Intercession?

By CBN.com

CBN.com
-- A family member faces a deadly disease. Your neighbor
desperately needs Jesus, but turns away every time you try to
share Christ. A nation begins to crumble because its people follow
their own evil ways. But what can you do?

Often, the problems we face seem too big for us. No matter how
much we try, we cannot solve them on our own. It's times like
these when we need to turn to the Lord in intercessory prayer.

WHAT IS INTERCESSION?

Intercession is prayer that pleads with God for your needs and
the needs of others. But it is also much more than that. Intercession
involves taking hold of God's will and refusing to let go until
His will comes to pass.

Intercession is warfare -- the key to God's battle plan for our
lives. But the battleground is not of this earth. The Bible says,
"We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces
and authorities and against rulers of darkness and spiritual powers
in the heavens above" (Eph. 6:12).

Intercessory prayer takes place in this spiritual world where
the battles for our own lives, our families, our friends and our
nation are won or lost.

A PLAN FOR BATTLE

If you are born again, you are God's son or daughter (John 1:12).
As His child, you have a direct "hotline" to God. At any time,
you can boldly come into His presence (Heb. 4:16)

This incredible access to God is the basis for intercession.
Once you are in God's presence, you can now discover His battle
plan for the situation you are facing. Because prayer alone is
not enough -- you need a target for your prayers!

To discover God's plan, all you have to do is ask. The Bible
says that "if any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and
it will be given to you" (James 1:5). When we ask God for wisdom,
His desires will become the focus of our prayers. "Let God change
the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that
is good and pleasing to Him" (Romans 12:2).

ARMED FOR BATTLE

Intercessory prayer is a serious matter. And just like soldiers
who are preparing for battle, we cannot take on the enemy if we
leave our weapons behind. That's why we must go into "battle"
armed for spiritual conflict (see 2 Cor. 10:3,4).

First, recognize that Jesus is in control of the situation. Jesus
"rules over forces, authorities, powers, and rulers ... over all
beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well"
(Eph. 1:21). He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Then, put
on "all the armor God gives" (see Eph. 6) so that you will be
ready to fight with God's weapons. These are the "weapons of our
warfare" that can pull down strongholds in the spirit world (see
2 Cor. 10:3,4). They will also protect you from the attacks that
are sure to come once you begin the spiritual battle.

Next, bind the work of Satan, knowing that Jesus has given you
authority "to defeat the power of your enemy" (Luke 10:19). If
God shows you the identity of specific spiritual strongholds that
are at work, take authority over these strongholds in the name
of Jesus. And always remember that "God's Spirit is in you and
is more powerful that the one that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Finally, as you begin the spiritual battle, take comfort knowing
that you are not alone: Jesus also is interceding on your behalf!
The Bible says that Jesus "is able to save forever those who draw
near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession
for them" (Heb. 7:25, NASB; see also Romans 8:26,27,34).

PERSISTING IN BATTLE

Intercessory prayer is also prayer that doesn't give up. It's
the kind of prayer that endures all setbacks and overcomes every
obstacle. It's prayer that "presses on" until we "apprehend" God's
will in whatever situation we are facing (see Phil. 3:12, KJV).

This kind of prayer is the key to seeing breakthroughs in your
life and in the lives of those around you. Jesus gave a great
model for intercession in the story of the persistent friend.
Here we see a friend who knocks on his neighbor's door at midnight
to ask for three loaves of bread. The neighbor does not want to
get up, but Jesus said, "because of his friend's persistence he
will get up and give him as much as he needs" (Luke 11:8, NASB).

Then Jesus said, "Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who
searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who
knocks" (Luke 11:10). Those words mean keep on asking, keep on
seeking, keep on knocking. In God's time, your persistence in
intercessory prayer will reap a spiritual harvest in your life
and the lives of those around you!

BATTLING FOR YOUR NATION

Throughout the Bible, God searched for those willing to fight
the spiritual battle for their land. In Ezekiel, God says, "And
I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and
stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy
it, but I found no one" (Ezek. 22:30, NASB).

Through intercession, you can take the offensive in the spiritual
battle, building up your community, your nation and your world.
As you follow God's call to rise up and take your place in the
spiritual battle, God promises to "heal their land" (2 Chron.
7:14, NASB).

JOINING THE BATTLE

God is calling Christians to join His battle plan for this world
-- to join in intercessory prayer. He is not looking for perfect
prayer warriors, just willing hearts who want to see His will
come to pass on the earth. All you have to do is turn to the Lord
in prayer:

"Father, I come into Your presence and ask You to give me the
heart of the intercessor. Help me to be persistent in prayer until
the breakthrough comes. Thank You for this powerful weapon of
spiritual warfare -- and for Your faithfulness in my life. In
Jesus' name. Amen."

GOD'S WORD ON INTERCESSION

"We live in this world, but we don't act like its people or fight
our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's
power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments and every
bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people's
thoughts and make them obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

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